October 21: Federico Bonetti (MPI Munich)

Abstract:
The longstanding problem of accessing F-theory on eight-dimensional manifolds of Spin(7) holonomy is addressed from an M-theory perspective. A novel version of the duality from M-theory to F-theory is proposed, in which M-theory on certain Spin(7) manifolds is dual to F-theory on the same geometries times an interval. The relevant Spin(7) spaces are constructed as antiholomorphic quotients of elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau fourfolds. The F-theory effective action is discussed by uplifting the M-theory effective action from three to four dimensions. The Type IIB weak-coupling limit of these setups is analyzed.